The age of the camera

On Saturday the police opened fire on a stolen car that was mowing down pedestrians as it tried to escape apprehension.  Few would have been surprised when - hours later - graphic film footage started to appear in the media, showing in great detail those events and the arrests that followed.

Not only does cctv cameras cover the street scene, we also have " SafetyCam "  recording the passage of every vehicle on the nation's highways.   Whenever we stop for a snack or to buy petrol, we can be assured that the security cameras at those businesses record our purchase and keep an identity check record.  We are probably photographed many times each day as we go about our business.

In recent years the camera in our mobile phone has upgraded from a low pixel instrument to a high end product, capable of delivering high quality still photography - and video.   The advent of the " smart phone " has  brought another inevitable improvement in technology - and it seems that these days there are few people without a mobile phone in their purse or pocket.

It is both a curse - and a blessing.   Ambulance crews, police, SES personnel - all can be sure that their work is likely to be recorded and therefore their actions must be correct and " by the book " at all times.   A slight relapse under provocation - will be the main story in next days news !

The criminal element has a big new worry.  Crime flourishes when the criminal remains anonymous, but try passing a fake banknote or mug an old lady for her handbag - and there is a good chance that some camera has recorded the event.

Car crashes, industrial accidents - all manner of mundane events seem to attract people to record scenes on their mobile cameras, and for some that could bring a rich reward.  We will probably see a sharp increase in advertisements calling for witnesses to events likely to come before the courts to come forward - and litigants willing to pay for evidence that would prove their innocence.

Love it - or hate it - the camera is here to stay, and whatever we do and wherever we go will probably be recorded somewhere - and could reappear when we least expect it.